Into The Woods
by AddieGreysPPPlover9119
Summary: AU; One-Shot. 8X24 The Montgomery-Shepherds Derek, Addison, Carson and Ryan face tragedy when both Derek and Addison are on the plane headed to Boise Memorial. Told through Carson and Addison's eyes


**"Into The Woods"**

**Hey Guys! I'm back with an all new Addek fanfic. I'm back with the Montgomery-Shepherd's from "Regret" and "Fighting Our Way Through The Darkness" (Don't worry I haven't forgotten about it! Things got a bit crazy with roleplaying it out so it's underconstruction at the moment-but I swear I'm gonna finish it!). So, this is a role play story line based on the finale...Its basically told through Carson and Addison's eyes. **

The last thing Addison Forbes Montgomery-Shepherd can remember before she boarded the flight for Boise Memorial is:

-She woke up that morning

-She had hot steamy shower sex with Derek

-She dropped Ryan off at school, reminding him that Carson would be picking him up because she would be in surgery at another hospital and to be on his best behavior for his sister

-She dropped Avery off at the hospital daycare, with Callie promising to watch her until Carson got out of school

-She reminded Carson not to forget to pick up Ryan after school and to pick up Avery from Callie that evening

The VERY last thing she remembers is boarding the plane with Derek, Mark, Cristina, Meredith, who was on her service, Lexie and Arizona.

She remembers being seated next to Derek, holding his hand and stealing kisses every now and then. She remembers Derek getting up and going to the back of plane and Mark taking his seat as they had a heart to heart about everything that had happened recently...

_*FLASHBACK-4 Months Prior*_

_They sat in the courtroom nervous, their daughter, their baby Carson had been charged with first degree murder in the death of Anne, a terminally ill patient at Seattle Grace who died under Carson's watch. Actually, Anne was on life support and, based on a conversation the two had had earlier, Anne told Carson that when it was her time, she didn't want any extraordinary measures, she just "wanted to go" so, Carson honored her friend's wishes. This act landed her in her current situation._

_"Will the defendant please rise" The Judge said as the juror handed him the folded piece of paper that would seal Carson's fate_

_"Carson Danielle Forbes Montgomery-Shepherd it appears that jury feels that there is not enough evidence to convict you, therefore I am declaring a mistrial"_

_Although they were overjoyed at the verdict, the problems did not stop there though. Once the hospital did it's investigation, it was required that either Addison or Derek step down as head of their department until the board reached a decision in the matter. It was determined that Derek should step down since Addison had been hospital's cash cow since her return to Seattle nearly 3 years ago; plus, with her recent return to work after the attack...Derek was forced to step down_

_*END FLASHBACK*_

"So, how are things going with you guys?" Mark asked Addison

"They're good now; Derek was pissed that the board made him step down, he even talked about moving to Boston...you know he got an offer from Harvard right?" She said turning to Mark who stared back at her with wide eyes

"Harvard?"

"Yeah, he turned them down though"

"But Why?"

and that's the LAST thing Addison remembers...

The next thing she remembers is looking up and seeing the sky. The sky and trees. Then, she can hear screams, hysterical screams. She smells smoke and what she thinks is burnt flesh, but...she's not sure. Then, Mark comes into view. She tries to sit up but, she's...she's stuck, underneath something.

"Mark? Mark? MARK! I can't...I can't move! I can't...Mark! I CAN'T MOVE!" and then suddenly, it gets hard to breathe. She's having a panic attack she thinks and then...everything goes black...

Seattle,Washington-14 hours later

Its late. Really late and Avery's really fussy because she's cutting teeth and Ryan is getting on her LAST nerve and refusing to eat or go to bed and all Carson wants to do is go upstairs, do her homework and talk on the phone with Drew.

"Ugh! Mom! where the hell are you and dad?" she mutters into her cell phone as she waits for her mother to pick up her cell phone. It rings, and rings, and rings.

"Ugh! Dammit! Where are they should be back by now!" she yells, getting frustrated, which startles the somewhat calm Avery, sending her into a fit of screaming.

"Ryan! Its almost 11 and we have school in the morning GO TO BED NOW!" she yells at her brother who is playing COD 3 black ops. She grows even more annoyed when he start mimicking her.

"Mom! Dad! where are you!" she whines...

Unknown location (Somewhere between Seattle and Idaho)

She can hear him calling her name, pulling her from the blackness that's threatening to surround her.

"Addison! Addison!"

She blinks slowly. The weight that was crushing her chest has somehow been lifted off of her, but...its still kind of hard to move her legs.

"Mark...wh-what, what happened?"

"We were in a plane crash Red"

"P-Plane Crash?"

"Yeah"

"Where, where's Where's Derek?"

When Mark cannot answer her, she panics

"Derek? Derek? DEREK!"

Seattle,Washington-2:43 a.m.

She's JUST fallen asleep. She's exhausted. Taking care of her little brother and sister is tiring. Ryan passed out in his game room a little over an hour ago and she had to drag him to his room-but not without a fight. Avery fell asleep some 15 minutes ago and just when she's about drift off into dreamland...

Lady Gaga is blaring from her cell phone, the sound filling the room which causes Avery to shriek.

"OH FUCK MY LIFE!" she screams as she rolls over and answers the phone

"WHO THE HELL IS IT? Mom? Dad? Hello? Hello? Hello!"

"Carson? It's Dr. Hunt"

"Dr. Hunt? As in Owen Hunt? Chief of surgery? Cristina's husband Owen?"

"Yes, that Dr. Hunt...Listen Carson, I need for you to get to the hospital immediately"

This makes her sit up in bed

"Why?"

"Its about your parents"

Her heart pounds a bit faster at this news

"...They never came home, they, my mom said they would be back around 9 and it's...almost 3 am and they aren't here...Dr. Hunt?"

"...just, just get your brother and sister and get here Carson"

His tone of voice sends chills all over her spine

Unknown location (Somewhere between Seattle and Idaho) Several hours earlier

"Addison! Addison come back! you can barely walk on your leg, your lung nearly collapsed! Addison Derek will never forgive me if something..."

"Derek will never forgive you if he dies out here and neither will I! Derek? Derek? Derek!"

They walk a bit further until their worst fear is confirmed: he's lying underneath a part of the plane and he's not moving, he's pale and still...very very still...

"DEREK!"

Her scream sends an echo throughout the woods. Years later Mark swears its the worst sound he's ever heard...

Seattle, Washington

Carson's eyes widened as she quickly got out of her bed, opening the door to her brother's room as she switched the lights on and snatched the blankets off of her brother.

"We gotta go, Ry. C'mon, hurry up. I need you to help me with Avery, let's go!"

Ryan lifted his head up off of his pillow partially, his eyes fluttering half-way open as he groaned, closing her eyes as he dropped his head back on the pillow.

"Do we have to go to school now? Where's Mom and Dad?"

Carson was down the hallway now, picking up her dark-haired baby sister who was still screaming. Carson winced at the sound, listening to her brother whine from his room.

"Ryan, Dr. Hunt called- he said something happened to Mom and Dad."

The words she spoke, all in a jumble, made her heart race, as she got Avery's things ready to go from her room.

"We need to get to the hospital."

Ryan was up now, pulling on his shoes as he stood in the doorway of Avery's room, watching his sister. He was fully awake now, and his tone changed, now speaking softly and more slowly.

"Carson? Is it….. is it going to be like the time when Mom got at-"

"I don't know, Ryan."

Carson jumped in, setting Avery on her hip and her baby bag over her shoulder. She didn't want to think about what could have happened. What did happen. Maybe it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be… maybe they were okay.

Maybe they weren't.

Carson, Ryan, and Avery, who had calmed down some since being awoken by Carson's phone, all walked out of the house, greeted by the moonlight at the very dead of night, and got into Carson's car. Ryan helped Carson get Avery situated into her car seat in the back of Carson's car, and after that Carson drove. The three Shepherd kids, even baby Avery, were dead silent in the car as Carson drove the 15 minutes it took to get from their house to the hospital. Once they got there, Carson quickly took Avery from the backseat as the three walked into the hospital. They were greeted by an obviously altered Owen, and Callie- who was in tears, as the two adults looked at them in sympathy as Carson gulped and asked the inevitable question on the minds of both her and her brother.

"What…. Happened…"

There were tears. Carson could feel the tension in the air. The sickening silence. Something was wrong. Something was horribly wrong.

Unknown location (Somewhere between Seattle and Idaho)-several hours earlier

"Mark, I'm scared, Mark what if, what if he dies? what if we all die out here?" she whispers as she cradles Derek's head in her lap before turning to the plastic surgeon

"Mark? Mark?" she nudges him gently "Mark? Mark wake up! Mark? MARK!"

Seattle Washington-Present

Callie is in tears when she sees her best friend's 3 children walk into the hospital.

"Aunt Callie!" Ryan rushes towards her

"Ryan!" she holds him close in a tight embrace for a few moments before walkinge to stand next to Owen as Carson walks towards them with baby Avery in tow.

"What...Happened?" she asks

Callie cannot bear to tell the young red head that her parents have been involved in a horrible plane crash and her father and godfather's lives hang in the balance as they stand there. Just as Owen is about to speak, Bailey walks over to Carson and takes the now fussing 6 month old out of her arms

"Why don't you go into the conference room with Dr. Hunt and Dr. Torres Carson, I'll watch Avery and Ryan for you" Bailey says before leading Ryan and Avery away in the opposite direction.

Owen solemnly leads her into the conference room where Dr. Webber, April Kepner, Jackson Avery, Callie, Teddy Altman, and Alex Karev sit waiting, all of them with grim looks on their faces, well actually Kepner is damn near hysterics, The Chief looks like he's about to have a heart attack muttering about "the hospitals 3 best surgeons were on that plane" but Carson doesn't really hear him, Teddy is standing next to Owen, holding his hand and rubbing his back gently, as if to be his rock, Alex looks pissed, Jackson is comforting April and Callie is standing in a corner with a blank expression as she chokes back a sob. She counts the people in the room: Callie, Hunt, Altman, Chief Webber, Kepner, Avery, Karev plus Bailey that makes 8. There are 7 surgeons missing: her parents, Mark, Lexie, Meredith, Cristina and Arizona...its now nearly 4 am, her parents are no where to be found, the 7 surgeons in the room look sad and she was awakened from her slumber and summoned to the hospital that could only mean one thing...

"...The Plane, The plane...it never...they...they...they...crashed?...didn't they?" she asks in a whisper. When no one is able to answer her question, or for that matter look her in the eye, Carson Danielle Forbes Montgomery-Shepherd breaks down in the middle of the conference room. The only understandable words anyone can understand are "...NO! Mommy...daddy...don't leave me...don't go..."

Unknown location (Somewhere between Seattle and Idaho)

"Cristina what the hell are you gonna do?" Meredith Grey shouted as they placed Mark on his back

"He's got cardiac tompenod I have to do something or else he'll die" She shouted

"You HAVE to save him!" Addison shouted...

Several hours later

Mark Andrew Sloan, her best friend and almost father of her child, lay on one side of her and Derek Christopher Shepherd, her husband, love of her life, best friend and father of her children, lay on the other, they were both weak, worn and looked damn near close to death. They BOTH needed her. Cristina said she would have to make a choice, but she couldn't choose just one. Both were an essential part of her life: Derek because he was her husband and she couldn't, imagine or bear the thought of raising their 3 children without him and Mark because well, he was Mark and she would ALWAYS love him. So, she held them both; Derek on one side as she gently stroked his head and whispered softly to him. She did the same thing with Mark until she noticed him look up at her. He had this look in his eyes, a look that said he was leaving her.

"Red..."

"Yeah Mark?"

"You know, you and Shep are, my very best friends right?"

"Mark, Mark I need for you to hold on for me"

"You'll be okay, you don't need me, you take care of my girls Red"

"No shut up, do you hear me shut up"

"Lexie's waiting for me"

"No! Mark Sloan! No! Hey! No! No! Sofia's waiting for you, Callie's waiting for you, Carson and Ryan and Avery are waiting for you and I am waiting for you...we're gonna go home together okay?"

"Okay"

Several hours later

Sleep tried to over power her but she fought against it, but it just kept calling out to her. She kept one hand on Derek's neck to make sure she could feel his pulse and one hand on Mark's chest to make sure she could feel his breathing and his heartbeat. Sleep had over come everyone else, though she wasn't sure if it was sleep from exhaustion or sleep from death. Just as sleep was about to over take her, she heard it in the distance: a whirring sound, getting closer and closer. This was one of the few times she was thankful for her long legs as she used them to gently kick Cristina Yang awake

"What is it?"

"Listen"

"Is that?" Arizona said weakly

And it was, all 4 women looked up and saw it: their savior. A helicopter, several in fact had come to their rescue. As they all screamed in happiness, she gently nudged her sleeping lovers

"Derek, Mark, guys wake up, the helicopters are...Derek? Mark? Derek? Mark? Derek! Mark! Wake up! Wake up! DEREK! MARK!"

...

Meanwhile, Carson started pacing the room, her face still red from crying, though she had stopped with the crying. The Chief, Teddy, Owen, Jackson, Alex, April and Bailey watched her, each distraught in their own kind of way.

"You don't know if they're okay or not? You don't know if any of them died?"

She thought about who was on the plane as she rubbed her temples and sat in a chair in the conference room, going over things in her head as new tears formed in her eyes. Her parents, who would be her greatest lost, were in the middle of nowhere. Dead? Alive? She didn't know. Her god father, her uncle Mark, the love of his life, and everybody knew it; Lexie. Then there was Arizona, who she had become close to over the years. Cristina, who was she pretty sure hated her and her family, and her ex-step-mother; Meredith, who she was sure hated her. Carson recalled years ago when her father was still married to Meredith wishing that she'd just go away and die, but she took it back now. She took it all back.

"Do you even know where they are?" Carson said, looking up at the surgeons in front of her. Owen spoke up, looking at the young red-headed girl, the daughter of his friends, as he gulped and said softly.

"They have a location. Search and rescue is locating their exact spot... but we don't know how bad off... we don't know if everyone will be okay."

Carson nodded and gulped, closing her eyes as she shook her head and more tears came down her face. She started mumbling under her breath, her PTSD, which was put behind her, coming back to haunt her.

"I can't do it...I can't live without them, I can't take care of them without my parents." She said, referreing to her oblivious baby sister and terrified little brother sitting near Bailey at the other end of the conference table. She looked up now, facing the other doctors.

"My Dad- he's got a bad heart. And my mom..."

She thought about the attack and ran her fingers through her ginger hair, sniffling up tears as she mumbled to herself.

"We have to save them... they have to be okay... I... I... I can't..." She said, the rest of her words unrecognizable in her uncontrollable sobs.

Unknown location (Somewhere between Seattle and Idaho)

She was numb; her whole body was numb. Neither of them had survived the crash, leaving her a widow and 5 children: Sloane, Carson, Ryan, Sofia, and Avery without their fathers. She didn't know how she was supposed to react to that kind of news...

_*FLASHBACK* Several minutes earlier_

_Sleep tried to over power her but she fought against it, but it just kept calling out to her. She kept one hand on Derek's neck to make sure she could feel his pulse and one hand on Mark's chest to make sure she could feel his breathing and his heartbeat. Sleep had over come everyone else, though she wasn't sure if it was sleep from exhaustion or sleep from death. Just as sleep was about to over take her, she heard it in the distance: a whirring sound, getting closer and closer. This was one of the few times she was thankful for her long legs as she used them to gently kick Cristina Yang awake _

_"What is it?"_

_"Listen"_

_"Is that?" Arizona said weakly_

_And it was, all 4 women looked up and saw it: their savior. A helicopter, several in fact had come to their rescue. As they all screamed in happiness, she gently nudged her sleeping lovers_

_"Derek, Mark, guys wake up, the helicopters are...Derek? Mark? Derek? Mark? Derek! Mark! Wake up! Wake up! DEREK! MARK!"_

_*End Flashback*_

Cristina and Meredith did all that they could do, and so did the paramedics but, the trauma was just...too much for either man to handle; they, along with Lexie Grey were pronounced dead on the scene. As she rode the helicopter back to Seattle Grace, she tried to prepare herself for how she would tell Callie, that her best friend, and the father of her child did not survive the crash and more importantly, how she was going to tell her own 3 children that daddy was not coming home. She sighed as she tried to envision how things would be without Derek around, Carson and Ryan would be devastated, Carson more so because she and Derek shared a special bond. There would be no one to teach Ryan all he would need to know how to become a man, and with Mark gone also, he would surely be lost.

Baby Avery would never know what it would be like to see her father beam with pride and she took her first steps, said her first words, her first ballet recital, or her be at her first school play. Derek would never see his kids graduate from high school or college, he wouldn't be there when they got married or hold any of his grandchildren. Finally, she thought about how much her life would be affected by his absence. There'd be no one to wake up to, no one to come home to and tell about her day. There'd be no one to walk the halls of the hospital with. Alot of things were going to be different, not just for a while but, FOREVER. Forever without Derek and Mark seems like a long time...forever, an eternity...they were NEVER EVER coming back. The thought of this makes Addison Adrienne Forbes Montgomery scream...

She wakes up in a cold sweat unaware of her surroundings. It takes a moment for everything to process. Suddenly, she hears someone

"You okay there Red?"

It's Mark, Mark, and...he's alive! But wait? she could've sworn he and Derek were...dead?

"Addison?" and then, she hear's Derek, her husband's voice. Looking into the eyes of both men bring tears to Addison's eyes.

"What's wrong Addie?"

"I thought, I had a dream that you were, you both had...died" she whispered

But before either man can answer, they hear this sound, a whirring sound. Then, the wind picks up.

"Is that?" Derek asks

and it is! A helicopter, several in fact. They've been found! All 6 remaining surgeons scream with happiness as the choppers touch down and groups of paramedics rush out and begin to asses their injuries. She insists on being in the same helicopter with her husband and his best friend; she's not leaving their side and reluctantly, the paramedics oblige her request. The ride back to Seattle Grace Mercy West is far different from the ride she dreamed about. Paramedics are assessing Derek and Mark's injuries(it's determined that both men will need surgery).

She's sitting near the window staring out into the forrest where she's spent the last...she's not even sure how long it's been, fighting for her life. She told the paramedics that she was fine, even though to be honest, she's feeling a little dizzy and...she's feels sick to her stomach and...

"Woah! I thought you said she was alright?"

"Yeah she said she was!"

"Well obviously she's not if she's throwing up blood!"

Everything after that is pretty much a blur after that. Something about "internal bleeding" and then suddenly, it's cold. She's freezing cold, that's not good she thinks to herself. She tries to speak but...no words are forming. In fact, she can't even...her mouth won't open! Its as if her tongue has been glued to the roof of her mouth. She tries breathing but...its as if something is on top of her chest. She tries taking in a breath...inhale...exhale...inhale...but, she can't, she can't exhale!

"We're losing her!" she hears in the distance

She sees Derek and Mark and...is that Carson? she can see them all, Derek, he's trying to say something but...she can't understand. Someone is comforting Carson who's crying she thinks? Then...it all goes black!

_*Alternate Universe*_

_When she comes to again, she's standing in a hallway, a long dark hallway._

_"Where the hell am I and, my clothes! How did they?" she's confused, her clothes shouldn't look like what she'd worn to work that morning: A beige Donna Karan wrap dress with matching Jimmy Choo round toe 4 and a half inch pumps. No, that can't be right. When she looks up she sees someone approaching her. It's...a child? _

_"Hello? Who's there?" she calls out to the small child approaching her. _

_"Who are you? and where am I?" she asks before taking in the girl's features: she's fairly tall to be such a young girl. Addison muses that she's no more than 6, maybe 7. Hair shoulder length hair is a deep strawberry blonde. She's got a tiny gap in between her teeth and her eyes...they match hers, but with a hint of Jade in them. She would know this child from anywhere, the perfect blend of she and Mark. _

_"E-Ella?" she whispers as the girl simply nods_

_"But you...I..."_

_"Aborted me? I know" Ella replies as Addison starts to cry_

_"Don't cry mommy, I understand why I'm not mad" Ella says gently as she places her arms around Addison and gives her a hug. She's swears it's the best feeling in the world. Once they let go, Ella begins to tug on her hands. _

_"Come on Mommy! Hurry up! I gots lots of peoples I want you to meet!" she says pulling Addison further down the hallway_

_"Slow down Elle!" she laughs_

_"But Mommy! I been watin my WHOLE life to see you and I gots to show you all the peoples I met! I meet my grandma Bizzy and Uncle Derek's dad Mr. Christopher and Uncle Ryan and baby-" _

_but Addison cuts her off_

_"You, You met Bizzy?"_

_"Uh huh and Susan, she's really nice, come on mommy!"_

_Addison is suddenly frozen. Bizzy? Susan? Derek's Father? No, No, No, No, there was no way possible...they were all...dead..._

"Charge to 200...Clear!"

"Charge to 250...Clear!"

"Still nothing sir"

"Dammit Addison come on come on!" Hunt says as he tries his damndest to resuscitate Addison but is met with the constant beep of the heart monitor...

...

_*FLASHBACK*_

_Carson's eyes are wide; wider than they're ever been. Her heart's racing, she feels sick. She feels it in the pit of her stomach as she starts to tremble. She's in the grip of her step-mother, whispering for her to stop resisting her hold on her. She doesn't care that she hates Meredith. She doesn't care that she'd rather stick needles in her eyeballs than to spend a spare moment with her. She doesn't care than she had NEVER been this close to Meredith the entire time that her Dad was married to her. It didn't matter. _

_She's not thinking anymore. She elbows Meredith in the arm, and frees herself from her grip. Meredith and Cristina mouth for her to come back, motion for her. But she doesn't. She walks down the Cat Walk, runs- passed Gary Clark, and stops right in front of her father. She's unusually out of breath, as she feels her Dad grip her arm. _

_"Shoot me. I'm his daughter; I'm his only daughter, you kill me, you kill him inside and he has to live with that so do it. Shoot. SHOOT." She almost has a smile on her face, a faint one. Derek tries to step in front of her, but before he does, Gary Clark shoots into Carson's chest. Everything's black... she looks up at her father, who's in tears, her step-mother, Cristina, April Kepner... and she has a faint smile on her face as she goes towards the light... the pleas of her father and step-mother dying out into silence._

_*END FLASHBACK*_

"Addison- Addison! Come on, Addie, come on…." She hears in the distance, coming from an elevator, as she looks up from the seat she was sitting in in the waiting room of the surgical floor, to see Mark and her father calling out to Addison, who was being wheeled into surgery.

She'd been sitting alone for hours, as she couldn't stand to be with anybody anymore. Avery and Ryan were still in the conference room, as far as she knew, with the rest of the remaining Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital. Carson's heart started to pound, as she stood up and followed the gurney.

"Daddy…. Dad-Daddy- oh my god, Mommy…. Daddy, what's wrong with Mommy please tell me she'll be okay, you'll be okay…" She didn't know if she could handle it again. Almost losing her mother. Losing her father. She couldn't handle it; Carson knew she wouldn't be able to handle it. She felt like she lost her breath, having stopped chasing Addison's gurney. Carson had to catch her breath. She had to catch up.

This couldn't be happening again. They were okay, The Shepherds were okay.

But things change.

Location: Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital

The last thing she remembers before everything went black was being on the helicopter after they had been found. Everyone had survived the crash except Little Grey and now it looks as if SHE won't be surviving either...

_*ALTERNATE UNIVERSE*_

_She froze when she heard Ella say she'd met Bizzy and Susan and Derek's father and Ryan and the baby. No. That couldn't be possible because they had all died._

_"Momma, why'd you stop following me?" Ella asked as she turned and looked up at her with ocean colored eyes mixed with hints of jade._

_"Mommy can't follow you sweetie"_

_"But, But why? Don't you wanna meet everybody?"_

_"Honey, mommy met those people a long time ago before they..."she starts to say before they died but opts not to when she sees tears threatening to fall down the little girl's face._

_"O-Okay honey, but mommy can't stay long because I have to get back to-"_

_"Uncle Derek and Daddy, I know" Ella says as she continued walking a head of her mother. The two soon arrive near a small group of people._

_"Look everybody it's my mommy!" Ella shouts causing the group to turn around and look at her. She sees her mother, Susan, a dark haired man who resembles Derek, she sees Ryan and...she sees the baby, Amelia's baby but, he looks perfectly normal, in the distance she sees Lexie._

_"Who are you and when did you get here?" Ella asks her_

_"My name's Lexie" she says as her eyes connect with the older red head._

_"Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd, I...are you? is this? are we?" _

_Addison grimly nods in reply to Lexie's question; she doesn't need to fully know what she's asking because she already knows that Lexie is asking if they're dead._

_"Mommy, you know her?" Ella asks softly as Addison nods_

_"This, is Dr. Grey" she tells her daughter _

_"She knows your father, in fact she was his girlfriend" Addison replies as Ella looks up at her with a glint of excitement in her eyes. _

_"She does? you know my daddy?" Ella asks Lexie who's a bit confused_

_"Dr. Grey-"_

_"Lexie, Lexie's just fine"_

_"Okay, Lexie, this, s my, me and Mark's daughter, Ella" she says softly as she wraps her arms around Ella and plants a few kisses on her cheek_

_"You and Mark had?" Lexie started_

_Addison nodded _

_"Back in New York, after Derek left me and came to Seattle we stayed together...and I got pregnant, but I didn't..."_

_"She didn't keep me because she was scared and it wasn't my time to be born yet, at least that's what Mr. Shepherd told me when I was really little" Ella says softly. _

_Then, she hears Bizzy's voice._

_"Addison, how did you...get here?"_

_"There was a plane crash, Derek, Mark, Cristina Yang..."_

_"Did you say Cristina Yang? That's my mommy!" a little boys as she turns around and notices he is the perfect blend of Burke and Cristina_

_"Yeah I know, I work with her and I used to work with your daddy too; they're both really great doctors" she said kindly to the little boy_

_"My name's Michael, Michael Preston Burke" he says softly_

_"My name's Addison"_

_"Michael is my bestest friend and so's Abigal but she's just a little baby, she's almost 3 now" Ella informs her mother_

_and then she sees what she thinks will kill her all over again: a small blonde haired child with eyes like Derek's. His child, his and Meredith's child. The child that would've come to be if the shooting had NEVER happened. The child Derek would be with Meredith instead of raising Avery with her...Avery wouldn't even exist. _

_"Hi" Abigail says softly_

_"Hi sweetie" she says as she crouches down and picks the little girl up_

_"Are you my mommy?" she asks _

_"No, but I know your mommy and your daddy" Addison replies as tears well up in her eyes_

_"You do?"_

_"Yeah I do" she says as Bizzy looks at her_

_"Addison, you shouldn't , you shouldn't be here, you're not...it isn't your time yet...you have to go" she says_

_"No! I don't want mommy to leave!" Ella says clinging to Addison tightly_

_"Ella she has to" Ryan says as he walks closer to her and she gets a better view of his and Amelia's baby_

_"He looks just like Amelia" she says softly_

_"Cameron, his name is Cameron, Cameron Christopher Kerrigan-Shepherd, would, would you tell her that and that I'm so sorry I left her alone and that little Cam is doing just fine; he found me" he said_

_"Yeah I'll tell her"Addison says as she gently places Abigail on the ground and takes Cameron from Ryan's arms and hold him for a few moments before she feels something pulling her away._

_"Addison, you have to go back" Bizzy tells her_

_"No! I don't want mommy to leave me again! Mommy don't go please!" Ella cries and it's in that moment that she looks exactly like Carson. She crouches down so that she is partially eye level with her daughter_

_"Sweetie, mommy has to go"_

_"But I don't want you to"_

_"I know honey, I know but...mommy has to, okay?"_

_"Will I ever see you again?"_

_"Sure you will Ella, you'll see your mom again someday real soon, and you'll see your dad too" she hears Dell say_

_"I have to back and take care of your daddy and Uncle Derek and Carson and Ryan and Avery and I have to check on Sloane, and Sofia" Addison tells her tearfully_

_"But, But who's gonna tell me stories about you and Daddy, so I won't forget you?"_

_"I can tell you stories about your dad" Lexie says softly before turning to Addison, _

_"Could you, tell Mark I-"_

_"I will I'll tell him but I think, I think he already knew" Addison reassures her_

_"Will, Will you, will you take care of her?" she whispers tearfully to Lexie who simply nods _

_"But I don't want Lexie! I want you!" Ella sobs as Addison picks her up and holds her_

_"Shhh, Shhh, baby I know, I know...mommy's so sorry that she did this to you" she says softly to the 7 year old_

_"I want you to tell me about daddy!"_

_"Oh honey, you have lots of people who can help you to remember us"_

_"I've told you plenty of stories about your dad when he was little like you and I'll tell them to you again as much as you want me to" Derek's father tells her as Addison smiles at him_

_"He turned out to be a great man, he's a doctor, a neurosurgeon, in fact, they're all doctors" Addison tells Mr. Shepherd who proudly nods_

_"Susan and I can tell you stories about your mother" Bizzy says softly to Ella; its in that moment that Addison sees her mother be gentle to another human being other than Susan_

_"We'll all help you Ella, but you have to let your mom go back, she still has people who need her and she's still got a lot of work to do" Dell tells her as Ella gives Addison one last hug_

_"I love you mommy, I love you so much" she whispers tearfully as Addison holds her as if she never wants to let go_

_"The last thing she whispers to her daughter is "I love you too honey"..._

Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital-1 week later

Her eyelids slowly flutter open and she takes everything in. She's in a bed at the hospital and all of her friends and family are gathered around her. A smile spreads on her face as she sees them all standing there as her 3 children, Carson, Ryan and Avery all rush towards her bed.

"Mommy, I'm so glad you're okay" Carson whispers as she hugs her mother. She sees Derek and Mark who immediately rush to her side

"Addison! Thank God you're aright" Derek says before kissing her

"You scared us half to death Red" Mark mumbles before giving her a hug as she whispers in his ear

"I saw Ella"

"What?"

"Ella, our daughter Mark" she says as he looks at her with tears in his eyes; when she mentions Ella, she also notices Derek look away

"I saw Abigail too Derek and your father" she tells him as she turns and looks at her

"Who's Abigail Addie?" Derek asks as tears stream down Meredith's face; she KNOWS who Abigail is because it was a name she'd picked out when she found out she was pregnant.

" ...you and Meredith's daughter, she'd be almost 3 by now" she says as the realization hits him that she knew Meredith was pregnant before the shooting

"You saw my father?" Derek whispers tearfully as she nods before turning back to Mark

"Lexie, she said, to tell you how much she loved you Mark and that she's watching Ella for us" she tells Mark before turning to Amelia who had made her way over to the bed.

"I saw Ryan...and the baby, he's beautiful, he is _so_ beautiful Amy...his name is Cameron, Cameron Christopher Kerrigan-Shepherd...Ryan says that he's sorry for leaving you and that Cameron found him" she tells the dark haired neurosurgeon who promptly breaks down into tears. As she tells them of everyone she saw, she smiles when she thinks about her daughter who she knows is watching her, and this, knowing that Ella is always going to be with her, with them, all of them, makes her smile...

...

Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital-3 Days Prior

Carson sat in the hospital waiting room for what seemed like years. She couldn't believe this could happen to them; again. Derek's shooting, Addison's attack. Carson was starting to think that the world was turned against them; whatever higher being above them was out to get her and her family. She didn't cry anymore; no, she pulled her knees to her chest and thought. Her dad was getting his 2-million-dollar-a-year hand examined, and her mother was in a medically-induced coma. Her life was starting to sound like some tragic movie. She basically didn't move from her seat in the waiting room for over 72 hours, waiting to hear about the well-being of her parents. Waiting to hear if her Dad could no longer be a surgeon, or if she and Ryan and Avery would have to go the rest of their lives without a mother.

And then Carson heard the three greatest words she thought she would ever hear, coming from her Uncle Mark.

"She's waking up!"

Carson sat up in her seat, staggering to stand up as she ran down the hallway to her mother's hospital room, pushing past various people to reach Addison's bedside as her eyes started to flutter.

"Mommy, I'm so glad you're okay." She whispered as tears came down her face, reaching for her mother's hand.

Everyone got in their fair greeting, until Addison brought up Ella.

Ella, Carson's would-be kid sister. Half-sister. The daughter of her mother, and Uncle Mark. A recurring subject in her drawings, and her dreams. Then Abigail, as Addison called her- the other would-be kid sister of Carson. Her father's daughter with his "ex-wife", Meredith. Carson hated Meredith, with a passion. But along with Cristina, April, and Derek, Carson had also found out about Meredith's pregnancy during the shooting. She didn't think about that too much; but she did know about the miscarriage. All of these thoughts flooded Carson's head as she took a step back from her mother's bedside. Ella, Abigail, her grandfather, Bizzy, Susan, Amelia's fiancé, their baby…. Lexie. All of the people that she and her family lost. Her mother saw all of them, she was that close to death. Carson, coming back to reality now, wiped the tears from her eyes away with the back of her hand, as she walked over to Addison again.

"They'll be protected." She said softly, to Addison, the whole crowd of people in the room drawing their attention to Carson. She nodded, in accordance. "They'll be okay. We, all of us…. will be okay." She said, a soft smile spreading across her face as Derek put his strong arm around her shoulder, smiling at Addison as the whole atmosphere seemed to lighten up.

Sometimes, you have to go into the woods to come out of them; alive.


End file.
